Groups Seek Increase Budget to End Gender-based Violence in Delta

Sylvester Idowu in Warri 

A coalition of civil society organisations(CSO) in Delta State has advocated  a gender-responsive budgeting framework to address the prevailing violence against women and children in the state.

It stated that a responsive gender-responsive budgeting by Delta State Government will ensure financial, material and technical resources are allocated strategically to address specific needs of the Sexual and Gender- based Violence (SGBV) survivors.

The coalition include Women Advocate Research and Development (WARDC); Development Initiative for Community Impact; NEFEROK Development Initiative (DICI); Working Fingers International Initiatives (WOFFI); Concern for Peace and Society Survival (COPASS).

Others were International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA); EndyBekx Initiatives for Children and Women Development (EICWD); Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ); Victoria Jarikre Foundation (VJF); Family Centre Initiative for Challenged Persons (FACICP) and Women Advocates Research and Development Centre (WARDC).

 Spokesperson of the coalition and Coordinator, Working Group for the Implementation of Violence Against Person’s Prohibition Law, Dr. Rachael Misan-Rukppee, at a press conference in Warri  called on the Delta government to adopt the gender-responsive budget to address specific needs of SGBV survivors.

 Dr Misan-Ruppee, who is also the Executive Director of Development Initiative for Community Impact (DICI) also urged the Delta House to Assembly to prioritise the issues of gender-based in the 2025 budget.

She said that the responsive framework would integrate a gender perspective that would encompass, planning, resource allocation, programme implementation and impact assessment.

Dr. Misan-Ruppee, who was flanked by the Executive Director of NEFOROK (NEDI) and Executive Director Victoria Jarikre Foundation, Otorme Victoria Jarikre and a member of NAWOJ, Ezon-Ebi Odumosu, said that the whole essence was to ensure that limited resources were effectively utilised to achieve a maximum impact.

 “We appeal to the Delta House of Assembly to champion this course by increasing the budget allocation for SGBV prevention and response and prevention in state’s annual budget. The fight against SGBV is a fight for human rights, dignity and justice. 

“We must rise to these challenges by committing the necessary resources to build a society free of violence. Collaboration across sectors is key to ending violence against women and child,” she said.

Dr. Misan-Ruppee noted that globally, violence against women and girls had far-reaching economic implications adding that the passage of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 was a milestone in providing a legal framework to address violence against vulnerable group in the society.

“Similarly, the Delta Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law 2020 marked a critical step towards localised solutions. However, the impact of these laws has been limited due to poor implementation mechanism, lack of coordination, insufficient enforcement capacity and inadequate funding,” she said.

Dr. Misan-Ruppee noted that in Nigeria, 7,349 cases of SGBV were reported with sexual and physical violence between January 2020 and July 2022 while Delta recorded 800 in the same period.